Sir William Chambers was a Swedish-born British architect. Among his best-known works are Somerset House, the Gold State Coach and the pagoda at Kew. Chambers was a founder member of the Royal Academy
Chambers, painted in 1764 by Frances Cotes
The central courtyard of Chambers' Somerset House in London. The pavement fountain was installed in the 1990s.
Door handle from Somerset House, about 1785, designed by Sir William Chambers V&A Museum no. 4013-1855
Richmond Palace, not executed
The Great Pagoda at Kew Gardens in southwest London was built in 1761 by Sir William Chambers as a present for Princess Augusta, the founder of the gardens. Constructed of grey brick, the pagoda compr
William Chambers (architect)
…23 February 1723 – 10 March 1796) was a Swedish-born British architect. Among his best-known works are Somerset House, the Gold State Coach and the pagoda at Kew. Chambers was a founder member of the Royal Academy. William Chambers was born on 23 February 1723 in Gothenburg, Sweden, to a Scottish merchant…
"This supreme example of Chinoiserie"
Kew Gardens - The Pagoda and Bridge by Richard Wilson, 1762
A view of the pagoda in 1763, a year after completion
The pagoda's interior staircase